Lighting is extremely important for the inhabitants of aquariums - fish, microorganisms, plants. The latter are particularly sensitive to the intensity and range of illumination. If there is not enough light, plants grow brown and die, disrupting the overall biobalance in the aquarium and leading to the death of fish. And the fish themselves are simply necessary for normal development and spawning.
What is good for aquarium lighting with LED lamps?
LED lamps for aquariums began to be used not so long ago, having come to replace fluorescent and ordinary incandescent lamps. Nevertheless, they have already managed to get a big spread, having a number of advantages. Among them is that during work they do not heat water and serve longer than other analogues.
In addition, such lamps are very economical and the light flux from them goes in the right direction, so they do not need reflectors. The intensity of the same LED lighting can be adjusted by including various combinations of LEDs.
For the night illumination of the aquarium, you can use blue low-power LEDs that simulate moonlight. With this backlight, the aquarium looks impressive in the dark.
How to choose LED lamps for an aquarium?
To the illumination of fish and the underwater landscape there are no special requirements. But if there are plants in the aquarium, then it is necessary to calculate the number of LEDs to achieve the required power and intensity of illumination. In this case, operate with indicators such as watts and lumens.
If the plants are unpretentious enough illumination in 20-40 lumens for each liter of volume. For more demanding ones, you need 40-60 lumens. As for the color temperature of lamps suitable for illuminating aquarium plants, it should be within 5000-8000 Kelvin. Less than 4000 K, the lighting turns red, over 6000 K - with a blue tint.
In aquariums, white LEDs are usually used to get the effect of daytime, warm or cold white light. Sometimes red and blue light-emitting diodes are added to them. Green light is not needed for plants.
All these parameters you can see on the packaging when buying an LED lamp. Based on the characteristics, a suitable lamp is selected.
Undoubtedly, the quality of LEDs is also important. It is better to avoid cheap Chinese lamps - they are short-lived and have a small penetrating power. Try to choose reliable LED lamps for the aquarium, the best of which are the LEDs of the brands Osram and Cree.